Perlustration of Shakespearean Sonnets

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Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 2. 2019 Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Apr-Jun) Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)

RESEARCH ARTICLE

PERLUSTRATION OF SHAKESPEAREAN SONNETS

SANGAVI. K PG student in Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore-43, E-mail- [email protected] doi: https://doi.org/10.33329/rjelal.7219.230

ABSTRACT It is always regarded that Shakespeare is universally known as an exquisite dramatist. But he is also the finest poet in English Literature. He has written one hundred and fifty-four sonnets, thirty-eight plays and two epic narrative poems. The works of him are divided into comedies, histories and tragedies. These works of him stand as unique manuscripts in English Literature by its universal ideas and portrayal of characters. His works always stand in the test of time by its universality and treatment. If his plays are with a universal theme and seen as the evidence of his wit in language, then the sonnets are seen as his personal experiences and are more subjective. It is more subjective in themes and even more in its structure. Shakespeare still stands out as the greatest playwright after four hundred years. Most of his works were released posthumously in 1623 by his theatre companies. Keywords: Sonnet, Couplet, Quatrain, Structure, and Themes . The Origin of Sonnet Shakespearean Sonnet

A sonnet is a form of a lyrical poem that In early days, it seemed difficult to rhyme in was initially originated in Italy. There are more the English language and regarded that sonnet could definitions to justify the term sonnet. Some say that only be suitable for a Germanic language group. it is a ‘fourteen-line poem'. Some say that it is a Because the Italic languages were with lofty vowel ‘fourteen-line poem with Iambic pentameter'. But endings and suffixes to rhyme in a poem. there are various forms of sonnets. They may have Shakespeare wrote his sonnets during the outbreak different line variations, different metres and of plague in London, which actually resulted in the structure. The sonnet can be classified into different closure of theatres and it prevented to stage the types, like Petrarchan sonnet, Shakespearean dramas of the playwrights. Then it was published in sonnet, Miltonic sonnet or Pushkinian sonnet. So a a book titled “SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS”. It was sonnet is defied of definition. Petrarch was the first after the publishing of Shakespeare's sonnets, the man to successfully used the sonnet form in his sonnet form became the vogue in the English “Rime to Laura”, which portrayed the romantic form literature. The readers of Shakespeare had great and stylistic model of the sonnet that is used today. taste for it, and the sonnet was shaping into a Sir Thomas Wyatt, the poet, brought the sonnet to common literary form. Shakespearean sonnet is also the English Court. But it was more successful only called as English sonnet. Later, this form was after the publication of Shakespeare's sonnets in followed by writers like Keats, John Donne, etc. 1609.

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Structure quatrains were wrong then he wouldn't have written at all and nobody had ever truly loved. The It was Shakespeare, who broke the rules of couplet completely surprises the readers. There are the sonnet and created a new one. But like the some exceptions. The sonnet 99 has fifteen lines traditional sonnet form, he used the line variation. with an additional line in the first quatrain and has Each of his sonnets consists of fourteen lines. This the rhyme scheme abab. And the sonnet 126 does form has three quatrains. Quatrain means having not have quatrains. The entire sonnet is made up of four lines in each stanza. All the quatrains have a six couplets. similar rhyme scheme. It also has a couplet, which means a two lined stanza. This couplet alone has a Rhyme Scheme: different rhyme scheme than the quatrains. He used The Shakespearean sonnet has a the three quatrains to establish a particular idea and different rhyme scheme from the traditional one. It used the couplet to denote a completely different employs the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg. The approach to the established idea. For instance: sound of the ending word of the first line matches Sonnet 116: the sound of the ending word of the third line. Similarly, it matches with the second and the fourth Let me not to the marriage of true mind line. For instance: Admit impediments. Love is not love Sonnet 18: Which alters when it alteration finds, Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (a) Or bends with the remover to remove: Thou art more lovely and more temperate: (b) O no; it is an ever-fixed mark, Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; (a)

It is the star to every wandering bark, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Whose worth’s unknown, although his (b) height be taken. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, (c)

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; (d) cheeks And every fair from fair sometime declines, (c) Within his bending sickle’s compass come; By chance, or nature’s changing course, Love alters not with his brief hours and untrimm’d; (d) weeks, But thy eternal summer shall not fade (e) But bears it out even to the edge of doom. Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; (f) If this be error and upon me proved, Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his I never writ, nor no man ever loved (Sonnet shade, (e) 116.1-14) When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st; (f) The first quatrain has an explanation of what true So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, (g) love is not. He says that true love, which will not ‘alter' or ‘bend'. Then the second quatrain explains So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. (g) what true love is, which is an ‘ever-fixed mark'. (Sonnet 18.1-14) Further, the third quatrain explains what love is, and In the first line, the sound of the last word love isn't. The examples given in the three quatrains “day” rhymes with the sound of the last word “May” are agreeable. But in the couplet, he challenges the in the third line. The sonnet 29 has an exception. reader that if whatever has explained in the

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Sonnet 29: Themes:

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s The themes in Shakespearean sonnets are eyes, (a) age, time, politics, gender roles, lust, love, obligations, etc. Shakespeare had included romantic I all alone beweep my outcaste state, (b) love as one of the themes in his sonnets. The reader And rouble deaf heaven with my bootless can interpret as a love triangle between the speaker, cries, (a) the fair youth and the dark lady. Shakespeare had And look upon myself, and curse my fate, portrayed different levels of love from platonic to (b) sexual in his sonnets. Over the centuries, the critics are in debate on the character of his love Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, sentiments- the ‘fair young man’ and the ‘dark lady’. (c) On Love: Featur’d like him, like him with friends possess’d, (d) The term ‘Love’ does not have a fixed definition in Shakespeare’s sonnets. It is described Desiring this man’s art and that man’s as an overwhelming force, which travels over time, scope, (c) the physical world, and reason. Love is personified With that I most enjoy contented least; (d) and explained as an immortal force which overcomes the age, death and time. His love is Yet in these thoughts myself almost actually directed to two persons, the dark lady and despising, (e) the fair young man. Some of the sonnets on love are Haply I think on thee, and then my state, sonnet 1, 18, 29, 73, 116. (b) On Time: Like to the lark at break of day arising (e) The sonnets from 1 to 126, Shakespeare From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s used the word ‘time' seventy eight times. gate; (b) Shakespeare hauntingly preoccupied with time and felt its entailing. Shakespeare always personified For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth time and considered as the fourth character in his brings (f) sonnets. In sonnet 16 as "devouring"; in sonnet 19 That then I scorn to change my state with as "swift-footed"; in sonnet 12 as "hideous night", kings. (f) (Sonnet 29.1-14) the time is personified. In sonnet 18 and 19, the The rhyme (b) in the first quatrain is repeated in the destructive face of time is described. third quatrain. Speculations:

Meter: The characters on his sonnets are still in The sonnets are mostly written in Iambic debate on real identity, whether it is addressed to pentameter, and this was his favourite one. the dark lady or the fair young man. There is also speculation that Shakespeare might be gay. The In this form, each line has five pairs of syllables. The sonnets from 1 to 126 are addressed to the young unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. man. The other character dark lady is referred to as For instance, in Sonnet 29: “When in/ disgrace / ‘black'. The sonnets from 127 to 152 express the with for / tune and / men’s eyes/ I all / alone / be sexual distaste of him. In sonnet 127, 128, and 130, weep / my out / cast state” (Sonnet 29.1-2) he gives contempt compliments to the dark lady. As usual, the sonnet 145 is written in iambic Some critics say that the young man is his friend tetrameter. William Henry that he had shortly denoted as W. H. Some say that it was his initial and he has wrongly

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placed it. The dark lady might be the queen of his http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.XVIII.ht time. ml. Accessed 03 Jan 2018.

Conclusion: “Sonnet CXVI”. shakespeare.mit.edu,

Though the sonnets have many speculations and exceptions,http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet. these sonnets have a strong theme to convey to the readers. It talks about love, lust, time, friendship, and so on. Although Shakespeare did not introduce this form to the English language, it was after his release of sonnets; this form got fame and famous. He had made his beloveds immortal by employing the time as well. For sure Shakespeare was not only a great CXVI.html. Accessed 03 Jan 2018. playwright but also a finest poet or sonneteer. References

Ansari. A. A. Shakespearean and other Essays. New Delhi: Sarup Book Publications Pvt. LTD, 2009.

Bloom, Harold (ed.). William Shakespeare’s Sonnets. New Delhi: Viva Books Private Limited, 2011.

“The Life of William Shakespeare.” 123HelpMe.com, http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id= 43941. Accessed 27 Dec 2017.

Cummings, J. Michael. “The Sonnet A Study Guide”. Cummings Study Guide. https://cummingsstudyguides.net/xSonnets .html. Accessed 27 Dec 2017.

“No Sweat Shakespeare”.

https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/so nnets/love-sonnets/. Accessed 03 Jan 2018.

“Treatment of Time in Shakespeare’s Sonnets”. Literary Articles. http://www.literary- articles.com/2009/12/shakespeares- treatment-of-time-in-his.html?m=1. Accessed 03 Jan 2018.

Phatak, Rucha. “5 unmistakable Characteristics of Shakespearean Sonnets”. Buzzle, https://googleweblight.com/articles/cgarac teristics-of-shakespearean- sonnets.html&grqid=PqFgstXR&hl=en- INn(accessed, 2016. Accessed 03 Jan 2018.

“The Sonnets”. http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet s.html. Accessed 03 Jan 2018.

“Sonnet XXIX”. shakespeare.mit.edu,

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet. XXIX.html. Accessed 03 Jan 2018.

“Sonnet XVIII”. shakespeare.mit.edu,

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